A massive fire erupted in the shanties near Eco Park on the eastern fringes of Kolkata on Wednesday evening, sparking panic among residents.
The blaze began around 7:30 pm in one of the shanties and then spread rapidly to adjoining houses made of highly combustible materials. Consequently, thick smoke engulfed the area and forced residents to flee. Soon after, at least 20 fire tenders rushed to the spot and worked tirelessly to contain the flames. Fire officials confirmed that they brought the fire under control; however, complete dousing took longer because of the materials used in the shanties.
Meanwhile, police cordoned off the area and regulated traffic to ensure smooth firefighting operations. In addition, locals assisted fire brigade personnel by evacuating residents and helping to control the blaze. Fortunately, no casualties occurred during the incident.
Afterwards, the fire triggered sharp political reactions. BJP leader Amit Malviya alleged a larger conspiracy behind the blaze. In a post on X, he claimed that visuals of abandoned huts had surfaced in Kolkata’s suburbs since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process began in West Bengal. Furthermore, he alleged that several residents had moved toward the Bangladesh border and questioned the delay in deploying fire tenders despite the scale of the blaze.
Additionally, Malviya referred to the recently published draft voter roll and alleged that thousands of names were struck off. He claimed the fire was “orchestrated” to allow residents to later claim loss of documents such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and voter IDs, thereby facilitating their re-inclusion in electoral rolls.
“This is not just an administrative failure; it is deliberate manipulation,” Malviya said, accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of “playing with fire.”
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